Duke fends off furious rally from reigning champion Florida in thriller with frantic finish at home

For a half Tuesday night, No. 4 Duke look poised for a runaway win against 15th-ranked and reigning champion Florida.

But Florida punched back from its lowest scoring half of the season and a 36-24 deficit at the break to tie the game at 59 in the game's final three minutes. From there it was a back-and-forth thriller that featured two lead changes in the final 35 seconds before Duke secured a 67-66 win.

As has been the case for most of the season, star freshman Cameron Boozer led the way.

Boozer 3 sparks frantic finish in Durham

Boozer finished with a game-high 29 points to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. And when Florida tied the game for the first time in the second half after trailing since halftime, it was Boozer who came up with the response.

With 2:10 remaining, Boozer took a pass on the wing Patrick Ngongba. He immediately pulled up for a 3 to put the Blue Devils back on top, 62-59.

But Florida wasn't finished.

The Gators answered with points on three consecutive possessions, capped by a Boogie Fland 3 with 35 seconds remaining that gave Florida a 66-64 lead, its first since 13-12 early in the first half.

But Isaiah Evans got the last laugh for the Blue Devils.

The sophomore guard on a roster filled with freshman stars pulled up for his own go-ahead 3 for a 67-66 Duke lead out of a Blue Devils timeout.

Fland dribbled the ball off his foot on the other end for a turnover, and Duke ensured that there would be no miracle finish for Florida.

Florida mounted its rally behind a 24-points, 6-rebound effort from All-SEC forward Thomas Haugh, who was the best player on the floor Tuesday night not named Boozer. And its imposing front line featuring preseason All-American Alex Condon controlled the glass with a 44-33 rebounding advantage.

But Duke was the more efficient team with fewer looks at the basket as it outshot Florida from the floor 45% to 37%. And with the game on the line, Duke's defense forced two turnovers on Florida's final two possessions to secure the win.

With the win, Duke improved to 9-0 and secured its third win over a ranked opponent this season that also includes victories over No. 24 Kansas and No. 22 Arkansas. Up next is perhaps its toughest test yet in a road matchup at No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday.

But for now, the Blue Devils can celebrate a win over the reigning champs in a matchup of two teams that advanced to last season's Final Four.